Jonathan Woodgate’s Bournemouth appointment was met with surprise, but it could be a shrewd move

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Jonathan Woodgate’s end of season appointment as Bournemouth manager has been met with negative reaction by many, but experience may favour his second managerial spell.

The ex-Middlesbrough manager joined the Cherries as assistant manager just a week before Jason Tindall was sacked, giving Woodgate the challenge of picking up the pieces as caretaker manager of, on paper, one of the best squads in the Championship.

In the likes of Dominic Solanke, with ten goals to his name this season, David Brooks, the diminutive attacking midfielder with five assists this campaign, and so forth, the talent in the Bournemouth squad is bulging.

This leaves Woodgate with the perfect assets at his disposal to reinvigorate his promise as a young manager.

Whilst his time at Middlesbrough did not go to plan as the Teeside club tried a different approach to their club structure, he will be no doubt better off for the experience and it is important that a young manager is not wrote off after one bad spell.

Managers can have bad patches and in the increasingly volatile world of social media, fans will not let you forgot how poor a manager was at their club, and fail to believe it possible that they could work out elsewhere.

David Moyes is the prime example to fend off those who will write off a manager from ever recovering from failure. His West Ham side sit in touching distance of the Champions League places and his failings in numerous consecutive jobs were used as a learning curve rather than a stick to beat himself with.

Brendan Rodgers another who began with two relatively unsuccessful periods in charge of Watford and Reading before his Swansea side swept aside their Championship opponents with a swashbuckling style of football.

There is no doubt Bournemouth are taking a risk, particularly with the stakes so high in a season where promotion will mean more than any other, with the financial constraints of a lack of main streams of income seeing a hunt for healthy balance sheets of even more significance.

They currently stand sixth in the table with Cardiff, under the new management of Mick McCarthy, and Woodgate’s old employers Middlesbrough, under the charge of Neil Warnock, both breathing down their necks three points behind.

With that in mind it is vital that Woodgate has a quick effect on his side if they stand any chance of maintaining form in a manner that will see them fighting for promotion post-league campaign.

Early signs under his caretaker charge have been mixed.

The most important thing for the ex-Real Madrid defender was getting off to a winning start after a general lethargy had crept into the club following a number of lacklustre performances under Tindall, ending in a 2-1 defeat at home to struggling Sheffield Wednesday.

And a winning start is what Woodgate got. A 3-2 victory at home to Birmingham gave him the platform to build from that he needed in charge of a squad that many would argue is the most talented individually in the division, but thrive on confidence and a tactical structure that encourages creative freedom.

Arnaut Groeneveld was the star man in that fixture, but Woodgate could quite easily call upon the likes of David Brooks or even young striker Sam Surridge if others were not available or up to the task.

He did exactly that in their impressive 2-0 FA Cup victory at the home of perennial Premier League overachievers Burnley.

This was the game that has to have been key in the rethink of the Cherries board to give Woodgate a shot at the job ahead of a hefty list of applicants.

Bournemouth were tactically astute and prayed upon the Claret’s weaknesses from minute one.

Burnley had included Erik Pieters in their initial starting lineup despite his suspension in the competition. Were it not for an eagle-eyed Cherries’ press officer, the ineligible player would have been part of the game, but a panicked switch saw youngster Anthony Glennon in his place.

Woodgate targeted the thrown-in youngster from the first whistle, as Burnley had a tendency to sit wide, he instructed David Brooks to draw Glennon out to the touchline, allowing space for an underlapping Jack Stacey to exploit the gaps in the backline that remained evident throughout.

It was clear that, despite questions around his capability as a manager at this level, Woodgate quickly grasped a hold on his side and a willingness to adapt his style in order to frustrate and pray upon opposition fragilities.

Recent results have been more mixed with a goalless draw at the City Ground, a tough 1-0 victory at home to ever-improving Rotherham stewarded by Paul Warne and a defeat at Loftus Road, albeit to a QPR side that have taken the scalps of top sides in the division at home in recent weeks.

And the appointment of Woodgate seems more out of a panic for reasonable stability given the circulating rumours of Thierry Henry potentially arriving.

Having said that, it is a free hit for Woodgate with his stock already quite low in football, realistically he would not have been in the reckoning for a Championship job were it not for circumstances falling into his lap.

But that comes as an advantage.

If all goes horrendously and his departure in the summer comes about, he will probably still be picked up by a League One club who see potential in his vision.

That brings with it a calmness and composure to see through a high stakes remainder of the campaign, whilst others will feel the pressure gaining on them as the playoff hunt becomes more intense, Woodgate can trust in his individual players to dig him out of a hole when a performance is not up to scratch.

He can also rely on his players to have faith in implementing a tactical structure that alters based on opponents. It brings about a one game at a time mantra that is vital in backend stretches.

Yes, it is a massive risk for the club as a whole, but there are signs that it could be a shrewd move.

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